Bangkok - Businesses heavily rely on migrant labour in both Thailand as well as in most parts of the Asia-Pacific Region. To address this and discuss migrant workers’ situation in Thailand, 14 companies and representatives from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Embassy of Sweden in Bangkok met for a business breakfast meeting on the 31st of October, 2019.

Migrant workers are an integral part of global supply chains and their extended tiers across Thailand. In 2018, official estimates stated that there are up to 3.9 million migrant workers in Thailand, making them 10 per cent of the country’s workforce. However, the actual number that also includes undocumented workers is much higher. And considering the rapidly ageing population of Thailand, the proportion of migrant workers is expected to rise to meet the demand for labour.  

At the same time, migrant workers are vulnerable and prone to exploitation through retention of identity papers, termination and indecent labour conditions such as being overworked and underpaid. The migrant workers are often recruited by informal brokers that charge exorbitant fees and essentially force the migrant workers into debt bondage already before they begin working. This practice is one issue within global labour supply chains that make migrant workers vulnerable.

Businesses as employers have a responsibility to protect their migrant workers and need to take a pro-active approach to their operations in line with international norms and best practices on recruitment and employment of migrant workers. To discuss how to do this, the IOM and the Embassy of Sweden organized a breakfast meeting under the Corporate Responsibility in Eliminating Slavery and Trafficking (CREST) initiative.

“Even though the risks associated with migrant workers in supply chains have been widely discussed in the business community, businesses are still lagging behind to demonstrate meaningful and lasting commitment of both time and resources to address these issues.

IOM’s CREST labour supply chain mappings and capacity building programmes are developed to inform effective and gradual remediation strategies in line with national legislation, ILO standards, UN Guiding Principles for Businesses and international best practices. 

We agree that workers should not be in debt or exploited as a result of getting a job and now we know where to start. Implementing the zero fees principle is a gradual process that requires global commitment and local knowledge and implementation, and we are here to support businesses with this,” said Valentina Gurney, expert at IOM’s CREST initiative.  

CREST has been working with numerous private sector partners and labour recruiters across supply chains of food and beverage, electronics, garment and manufacturing, shining a light on issues that would otherwise not be uncovered during regular supplier audits. CREST further provides businesses with knowledge and tools to address and remedy these risks before they face reputational consequences